


A Night Off

by orphan_account



Category: RWBY
Genre: Addiction, Dialogue Heavy, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21820390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When faced with a night off from huntsman duties, Clover invites Qrow out to dinner.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 108





	A Night Off

"A night off huh?"

Qrow muttered to himself as he leaned back against the wall and his eyes shifted over to the man standing before him.

"Yeah, Ironwood wanted us to prepare more for tomorrow. Following the election, it's very certain that despite the outcome. It can only get harder to control Mantle."

Qrow didn't like the way Clover said "control" Mantle. He let it slide this one time however, he was too tired to complain. 

"Alright. That's fair. Might just relax in my dorm or something."

Clover's green eyes sparkled with curiosity as he leaned on Qrow's shoulder with a small laugh. 

"Come with me. Let's just go hang out instead." 

* * *

  
  


As they walked through the city of Atlas, the cold night air nipped at their faces and the soft gentle glow of the city was very calming. As they walked and talked, Qrow couldn't help but stare over at the other huntsman.

Clover in turn, noticed this and flashed a playful smile in the direction of Qrow and raising his eyebrow.

Qrow quickly looked away, but it didn't stop the red blush from spreading up face. Clover laughed loudly and patted him on the back.

As they turned the corner, Clover grabbed Qrow's arm and pulled him in the direction of a small alley. A little restaurant nestled neatly at the back end of the small hidden away area. 

* * *

Qrow sat at the table alone, Clover had excused himself for a few minutes. He was scanning the menu quietly, the small bustle of the charming little restaurant was the only sounds to he heard.

Quiet footsteps approached the table and the sound of liquid being poured alerted Qrow's attention very quickly. 

The waitress gave him a wink as she filled his glass with wine and just as Qrow was about to interject, she just smiled and waved him off.

"First drink is always on us. Just your luck, huh?"

And as she walked away, Qrow stared at his glass. There was an itch in the back of his throat, as if his body was telling him to lean forward and take a sip.

_One drink can't hurt you Qrow._

His brain was trying to tell him, his fingers twitched and he subconsciously felt himself sit forward as he reached for the wine. 

"Qrow..?"

Came a voice from behind him and he was immediately snapped back to reality and he let out a small gasp. 

He watched as Clover sat back in his seat in front of him and his eyes fell onto the glass. 

"Oh, I forgot the first glass of wine here is always free. I...Are you going to take a drink?" 

Qrow glanced towards the red liquid, it seemed to be calling his name. Like a siren call. 

He hadn't touched the stuff since they arrived in Atlas, he thought he had moved on. But clearly, it wasn't so cut and dry. 

"Please...Get it away from me." 

Was all Qrow could muster, as he looked away in shame and it took a few seconds for Clover to process the reason behind this decision. 

"O-Oh! I'm sorry Qrow… I'll get the waitress to switch our drinks to water!" 

Qrow noticed how he mentioned both of their drinks as the waitress happily obliged, taking their glasses away.

"You can drink y'know."

Clover shrugged, as he sat forward, his face very lost in thought.

"No, its okay. I...I understand." 

Qrow froze, as he stared Clover up and down. The man was tense, his gaze avoiding contact with Qrow's.

"You...Did you drink?" 

Clover shook his head, as the waitress placed their new drinks down and took their orders. After she was gone, Clover continued to explain. 

"I...I had an addiction too. Not to the same extent I imagine yours was, but one nonetheless."

Qrow watched every movement and tiny shift in expression as Clover spoke in such a small, vulnerable voice. Before he could speak some more, their waitress arrived with their food. After thanking and tipping, Clover sighed as he spoke more. 

"When….When I found out what my semblance was, I started to do more riskier stuff. One of those...was gambling." 

The last part of the sentence was hard to Clover to admit, his chest rising and letting out a sharp exhale. Qrow gave him a reassuring look. 

"It's okay. You can stop talking about it if it makes you uncomfortable." 

Clover let out a soft chuckle as he shook his head "No, no. I want to tell you. I appreciate your concern though." and his expression softened slightly as he scratched the back of head. 

"I...I was getting more and more confident. My semblance assured me I could win almost every time. I kept upping the stakes, but I guess...I didn't take into account that I could always count on my semblance." 

Clover's fingers drummed the table, his eyebrows furrowed in regret. Qrow stayed silent, letting Clover speak. 

"One day, my semblance lucked out. Literally. I lost, a huge, enormous amount of money. It knocked me, I figured it was a one time thing. But since my confidence was shaken, it just became out of control, it even started to aid the other side." 

Clover and Qrow finished their dinner, as they were awaiting the waitress to pay her, Clover continued his story

  
  


"I..I was put into so much dept. I spent my final year at Atlas academy living on cafeteria food. I had people come to the school, demanding their money. My whole team resented me...I had to take on several jobs to pay it off. I was lucky I graduated at the end of of the year so I could take on work.."

  
  


Qrow watched at Clover's right hand began to tremble slightly, as a ragged short breath escaped him. Qrow's own hand reached forward, taking Clover's. 

Clover immediately relaxed, his light green eyes fluttered up to meet Qrow's red ones. 

"I finally started finally weaning off the gambling after I became a huntsman. I've never looked back since."

Qrow's face was understanding, his expression never that of judgement or looking down at Clover. They really had a lot more in common other than their semblances, huh?

"Qrow...I..Thank you for listening. I've never felt so comfortable around someone to tell them that."

Qrow smiled, as his hand squeezed Clover's gently "Hey. We both have been through the wringer when it comes to this sorta thing? Of course I was gonna listen. " he said in a low understanding voice. 

  
  


Clover for once found himself blushing. Normally, he was able to keep his cool around the bird man. But the tone and expression on Qrow's face was enough to melt right through to his heart.

Noticing the pink on Clover's cheeks, Qrow stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes playfully. 

With their evening together drawing to a close, both walked.down the cold Atlas street together. After a few moments of silence, Clover stopped in his tracks. 

  
  


"Qrow?"

Qrow stopped, turning to see a somewhat timid looking Clover, who's eyes were darting back and forth. Who then proceeded to close the gap between him and Qrow. 

The whole world around them froze, as if the only thing that mattered right then and there was each other. Qrow could feel his heartbeat accelerating, noticing how close Clover had gotten in a short amount of time.

As Clover took hold of Qrow's hand, they both shared a knowing look. One of understanding and also, yearning. 

As the the two foreheads touched, both let out short nervous laughs. As they looked at each other, it was clear what the other was thinking. But as they were about to act on their feelings...

Suddenly, there was a blaring alarm followed by a sheet of red falling across the world.

The sound of distant roars and screams totally breaking both huntsman out of their trance. 

"..Grimm." 

It sounded really bad. With a heavy heart, both knew what they had to do. Taking out their weapons, they started to run towards the source of the noise.   
  
  
  
  
Their moment together would have to wait until next time.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a random headcanon that came into play when I thought about Clover's semblance. 
> 
> Take this with a grain of salt, it's fanfiction after all! Hope u enjoyed!


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